Silver, the man that many Islanders blame for thwarting secession, today said that the Charter Revision Commission should look at granting the boroughs more local control.

"Whether you call it 'secession lite,' you have to give more independence," Silver told the Advance in an exclusive interview. "There has to be that independent input."

The Manhattan Democrat said that the commission should look at ways to empower the borough presidents and local community boards.

With the borough presidents already receiving a set amount of city budget money for capital projects, Silver said they should get a similar say in how services are rendered, including in the area of transportation.

"If there's a pothole out on Hylan Boulevard, the borough president should be able to get it filled and not have to go through the whole bureaucracy," Silver said.

He acknowledged that the Island can sometimes have its own special needs and issues that must be addressed.

"There is a certain uniqueness," Silver said. "The weather is different, it's less urban than the rest of the boroughs. It stands out in that regard."

Using the parlance adopted by borough leaders who are seeking more borough autonomy, Silver said, "Distribution of services -- secession lite -- would address most of those issues."

But Silver disagreed that the borough presidents should be given unilateral authority to close schools in their boroughs in snowy weather.

Local leaders are pushing the idea, saying that storms that leave a dusting of snow in Manhattan sometimes bury the Island under several inches.

Silver said that given systemwide Department of Education regulations regarding minimum teaching days, it would be impractical to give each borough such authority.

But Silver did say that the borough presidents should at least be given a formal way to make their case to City Hall.

"Sometimes the weather is different on Staten Island or in the Bronx," Silver said. "The boroughs should have the opportunity to call in and say, 'The roads out here are terrible, you have to close the schools.'"

But Silver said there isn't much that the Legislature can do to grant the boroughs more control, saying Albany lawmakers are "reluctant to micromanage" city affairs.

Looking back, Silver said that he believed Islanders were financially better off having remained a part of New York City, where they can rely on the city's tax base to fund essential services.

"Staten Island probably could not be self-sufficient without big increases in property taxes," Silver said.

He said he thinks he is unfairly tarred as the man who stopped secession.

"It's unfair in the sense of ... how things operate," Silver said.

The 1993-94 secession legislation failed after Silver insisted that there had to be a formal home-rule message from the City Council approving secession.

"The City of New York had to give us a home rule message on it," Silver said. "It's a constitutional provision. It was also held up by the Court of Appeals. But we're beyond that."

Said Silver, "I think Staten Islanders are generally happy about being part of the city."